With tomorrow's launch of the long-anticipated public phase of the University's capital campaign following the acquisition of 24 acres of postal lands this summer, it seems like the stars are aligning for Penn.
Is it possible that the timing is nothing but a coincidence?
Actually, yes, says Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli: The two projects were developed apart from each other, but they managed to fit together quite nicely.

It's bedtime, and you're hungry. You know you shouldn't reach for that bag of chips, but you do anyway.
Chances are, you just gave into a temptation. But for about 2 percent of the population, the snacking might be a symptom of "night-eating syndrome" that causes excessive post-dinner eating.

In demolishing the old Hillel building to make way for the new Annenberg Public Policy Center, the University saved two stones, the cornerstone and dedication stone, from the demolished building as a way of celebrating its significance to Penn's Jewish community.

Like anyone who has lived in the high rises, Soleil Roberts has had her fair share of encounters with the notorious section of Locust Walk known as the wind tunnel.
One day last year, the now-College senior half-jokingly tossed an idea around with her Environmental Science professor, saying, "You should put up a windmill here - you could power the whole school.

With official approval for funding from the Board of Trustees, Penn is ready to bring a seventy-year-old electrical system into the 21st century.
With electrical voltage in some of its buildings dating back to the 1930s and '40s, the second phase of construction on Penn's electrical infrastructure will include replacing electrical cable and making electricity distribution more reliable.

Outside financial experts agree: Penn's Office of Investments is certainly on the right track.
The University's endowment returned 20.2 percent growth on its investments this past fiscal year, bringing the grand total to $6.6 billion.
This positive growth reflects strategies that Penn's prime competitors, Harvard and Yale universities, have been using for years: an emphasis on international equities and a slow increase in alternative investments.

They drove you to soccer practice; they guided you through the college application process. When it came time for dorm shopping, they made checklists. And now that classes are in full swing, they expect daily e-mails.
Some people call them "helicopter parents," and, somewhat improbably, they might just be the next big thing in college fundraising.

A specialized focus on diversified investments and international markets has helped the University's endowment swell to $6.6 billion, a figure that was announced at last Thursday's Board of Trustees meeting.

The U.S. Department of Education announced last week it will stop sending paper copies of the Free Application for Federal Student Aid to high schools next year unless a school requests them.
The Department will instead encourage use of the online version of the application - one that is already used by over 90 percent of college aid applicants.

When College sophomore Anne Ryan died from meningitis last Sunday, she left behind a legacy as a model of two kinds.
First, as a girl whose striking beauty didn't stop at the surface, and second, as a scholar whose passions for learning and life made her an ideal student, her friends at Penn say.

While Penn's $6 billion endowment may not be as huge as those of financial giants Harvard and Yale universities, it's safe to say that the University is doing its best to catch up.
With the data on returns on Penn's endowment investments for the fiscal year to be released later this week, The Daily Pennsylvanian sat down with the woman behind the numbers, Chief Investments Officer Kristin Gilbertson.

Newsflash: Bringing your A-game in a round of Halo doesn't translate to an A on your Econ midterm.
In a recent year-long study, researchers surveyed incoming freshmen at Berea College in Kentucky and found that students who brought video-game systems to school earned a lower GPA than their non-gaming classmates.

The sudden vacancy of the dean of admissions post has led to a temporary replacement: Eric Kaplan.
Kaplan, who used to work as the University's Associate Secretary, managing academic programs like Convocation and Commencement, will serve as dean through the end of this academic year, when Penn hopes to name a more permanent replacement.

There's a new incentive to keep kids' hands out of the cookie jar - a perfect attendance record.
A recent study by fifth-year School of Arts and Sciences graduate student Andrew Geier found that obese students are more likely to miss classes than are students of normal weight.

Diplomats don't have to be politicians, but being a president helps.
Penn President Amy Gutmann took a trip to Botswana this summer to visit the University of Botswana, which Penn has partnered with for the past six years.
On her trip, Gutmann met with the president of the university, the president of Botswana and the U.